A while ago, my mother asked me what a certain noise was in her 2011 Crown Vic. She also said the passenger door lock wasn't working. It didn't take long for me to figure out the big rivet that holds the power door lock actuator to the door itself had broken off. When that rivet breaks, the power lock won't function correctly as it needs to be firmly attached to the door to work. This happened years ago to Vic 1.0, and my old mechanic used a nut & bolt to fix it.
I decided I wanted to do the job right, so I sourced the correct rivets, and FINALLY forced myself to do the job recently on a hot summer day, borrowing a capable riveter and a few tools from Bob at Belmont Seat Cover.
If you need to do this repair, some of the tools you'll need are a T25 torx, a 7mm socket, panel remover tool, patience. The rivets I went with are Auto Body Master part number PM49930, purchased at Checkered Flag in Ayer MA. There are others out there that will work, but I didn't need 100 of them! Make sure they have a dome-like appearance like the originals.
I didn't take photos when I started the project as I was just plain too distracted. But taking the door panel off is a bit easier with this panel than the 1998 style ones, other than needing something other than a Phillips screw driver. The most important thing to remember is, if someone hasn't already, DO NOT break the plastic tab off the switch panel! This is very easy to do if you don't know about the problem. Once you break it, the panel will never sit snug again without "persuasion". And unless you have a black interior, finding a replacement will no longer be a simple task.
Below are some "maps" to help you with this job. Again, I didn't think to take pics until it was too late, but something's better than nothing!
